Thursday, April 25, 2024

Eye tests predict Parkinson’s progression

Optical coherence tomography, commonly used in eye exams, can monitor neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease patients by measuring the thickness of the retina, according to research conducted at the University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and Health Research Institute of Bizkaia. This research could lead to the use of routine eye exams as a non-invasive method to monitor and predict the progression of Parkinson's.

“Retinal thinning and cognitive impairment do not occur simultaneously,” according to Ane Murueta-Goyena, researcher in the UPV/EHU’s department of Neurosciences. “The initial changes in the retina are more evident and then, over the years, patients are observed to worsen clinically in both cognitive and motor terms.” Click here to learn more. 

Rapid review quiz: Huntington's disease

Are you aware of the latest rehabilitation recommendations for patients with Huntington's disease?

Test yourself with a short quiz, presented by Karen Elta Anderson, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Neurology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, and Director of Georgetown MedStar Huntington's Disease Care. Click here to take the quiz.

Using new models to explore the origins of Parkinson's disease

In a paper published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, Ray Dorsey, MD, professor of neurology at University of Rochester, proposes the integration of environmental exposures into the brain-first and body-first models for Parkinson's disease (PD). Dorsey recently sat down with NeurologyLive® to discuss how the new model explains the potential environmental causes of PD. Click here to view the video and learn more. 

Gene-editing therapy restores more normal function in FA cell model

A gene-editing therapy designed to correct the FXN gene defect that’s associated with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) reversed several cellular features of the disease in patient-derived nerve cells, according to a recent study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology.

Scientists identified that dysfunction of a cellular compartment called the endoplasmic reticulum might play a key role in driving FA-associated nerve cell death, but the gene therapy was also able to restore more normal function of this organelle. Click here to learn more. 

Parkinson's research opportunity at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is conducting a research study using blood-flow restriction to improve strength and mobility in people with Parkinson's disease and impaired mobility. 

To be eligible, participants must be diagnosed with Parkinson's and have at least some difficulty walking. Participants also must be willing to undergo in-person strength-training exercises using blood-flow restriction twice weekly under the supervision of a physical therapist for eight weeks.

All participants will receive exercise intervention, and compensation will be provided for participating in the study. For additional information, please contact Mark Mañago at (303) 724-0247 or Mark.Manago@cuanschutz.edu.